Motorola recently filed a lawsuit against Microsoft for using patented features such as H.264 video coding and access to the internet via Wi-Fi in the Xbox 360, and asked for the 360’s sales to be banned in the United States. Sales for the system and Windows 7 had been banned in Germany already, a while back, but the ban has been lifted, and will not even be put in pace now.
U.S. Judge James Robart has ruled against Motorola, according to the BBC, saying that these patented features are “critical to industry standards and should be therefore be licensed on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms.”
Motorola was asking for a whopping $4 billion a year of Microsoft to use these features, which has been decided was unreasonably high. Motorola also demanded that they be given 2.25% of each Xbox 360 sold, but it’s not yet decided whether that’s unfair.
A “fair” license rate will be negotiated as the case continues.
Stay tuned for updates.
